“Overdue” by Valerie Schultz
Valerie Schultz and her husband thought they had volunteered for their parish’s St. Vincent de Paul chapter. But through some fluke, their names were listed under the new detention ministry instead. The result of that fortunate mistake is her new book, Overdue: A Dewey Decimal System of Grace in which she shares some of her experiences during her fourteen years as a prison librarian. (Published by Liturgical Press)
At first Schultz was afraid to volunteer in a prison. She had seen too many movies about prison inmates. But over time she learned that inmates were “just folks–young, old, short, tall, thin, stout, bald, well-coiffed, English-speaking, Spanish-speaking, outgoing, shy, articulate, silent, funny, stern.” Some inmates were dangerous, some were gentle; some were filled with hate, but many were kind. In short, they were similar to the non-incarcerated population.
Schultz creatively divides her book into chapters based on the Dewey Decimal system. In chapter one she gives brief descriptions of some of the inmates, concealing their identities by never using their real names and by altering some of the facts about them. Soon a picture emerges about the “normal” inmate. Normal inmates, for example, have had bad childhoods–extremely bad ones filled with horrific childhood experiences. Many grew up in poverty, had never met their fathers, never learned to read, never got a birthday present, never had a home address. It’s easy to see why membership in a gang would be so attractive to many of them.
Addiction too was a part of most inmates’ lives. Many, many crimes are the result of drugs and alcohol. Another experience inmates share is this: they often have no identity except the crime for which they are imprisoned. Schultz raises the question: How would you like your identity to be reduced to the worst thing you ever did in your life–as if nothing else matters. What’s worse, your awful deed is the only thing that is known about you.
Here are a few insights gleaned from Schultz’s book:
When she led Communion services in prison, she was surprised how often the inmates prayed for their victims and the families of their victims.
She found a “Congress of World Religions” in prison: Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Mormons, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Druids, Odinists, Native American Spiritualists, Wiccans, Satanists, and Atheists.
Schultz narrates sad stories of inmates paroled and returning to prison again shortly afterwards. But there are encouraging stories of former inmates doing well, the growing interest in prison reform, of dedicated staff members and volunteers, of the increase in transitional housing for parolees. As a writer, I was especially interested in the newsletter she started in which inmates could share their prose, poetry, and art.
Throughout the book, Schultz never romanticizes the prison or its inmates. She is always fully aware that many of the inmates committed terrible crimes. At the same time she claims she found God within the those prison walls, saying, “God was palpably everywhere.” The motivating force behind her ministry is something Fr. Gregory Boyle said. He’s the author of Tattoos on the Heart which I wrote about on this blog a few years back. Boyle said, “Bring love where none exists.” Schultz writes: “I think of those five words as a mission statement for life.” I agree. No matter our age or circumstances, aren’t we all just trying to bring a little more love into the world?
Fo reflection:
Did anything stand out for you in today’s reflection?
Are any of you involved in jail or prison ministry? If so, is there something you could share with us about your ministry?
PS: I ask your prayers for the retreat I will be facilitating at the Franciscan Spiritual Center in Aston, PA this weekend, Oct. 18-20. Thank you very much!
PS #2: Special thanks to the prayer group (7 women and 3 men) in Willoughby Hills, OH who are reading and praying with my book on hope. They invited me to one of their sessions this past week and I was very inspired by their discussion and their prayer.
“I was in prison and you visited me.” These words are found in Matthew 25. Here is a beautiful song called “Matthew 25 Song” by Sherri Youngward. There are no printed lyrics but the refrain is: “You were hungry…thirsty… lonely and afraid… You were crying and no one heard you. You were dying and no one cared.” The final refrain is a positive one. “I was hungry, but you fed me… I was lonely, and you called my name… I was dying, and you came.”
As usual, I invite a response from you below!
Praying the Rosary
October 7 is the feast of the Holy Rosary… so I was thinking…
As a little girl, I prayed the rosary kneeling beside my parent’s bed. It was usually May or October at 7:45 pm, and the rosary was being broadcast on the radio. We four kids, who moments earlier had been merrily playing outside with our friends, were called in to pray the rosary by our mother (Dad was often still at work). We recited the prayers along with the chorus of voices on the radio. This was our “Marian devotion,” our mother explained. At 8:00, when we finished, we could go back outside and play again, but by then, most of our friends had gone home. They got tired of waiting for their “Cat’lic friends” to finishing their weird prayer ritual.
Over the years I have prayed countless rosaries in countless places. I’ve prayed the rosary in the Catholic schools I attended from 6th to 12th grade. I’ve prayed it in bed before falling asleep, in convent chapels, high school gyms, and outdoor shrines. I’ve prayed the rosary while kneeling in a church, strolling in a park, or sitting on a bench overlooking the ocean. I’ve prayed it while driving down a highway, flying at 30,000 feet, or sitting in a crowded waiting room. I’ve prayed one decade of the rosary with my lively third grade catechism class and an entire rosary with my elderly mother.
I’ve prayed the rosary when I was young, healthy, and full of life. And I’ve prayed it–or at least I tried to pray it–when I was very sick and lying in a hospital bed. I’ve prayed the rosary when I was full of faith and hope and when I was swimming in doubt and despair.
The rosary is an ancient prayer form. Tradition says it was given to St. Dominic in 1214 during an apparition of Mary. It has been called “the poor person’s Psalter.” That’s because, in the Middle Ages, books were scarce and the poor were largely illiterate. So they couldn’t recite the Psalms like some monks and nuns did. But they knew by heart the prayers that composed the rosary. In addition, monks and nuns had hours each day to pray. Poor lay people were too busy eking out a living–but they could afford 15 minutes for the rosary.
For centuries the rosary consisted of 15 decades or mysteries based on the lives of Mary and Jesus, the so-called Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries. In 2002 Pope John Paul II added five more mysteries, the Luminous mysteries.
There are various ways to pray the rosary. Many people focus on each mystery they are praying. Some use booklets with short meditations for each rosary bead. I once used such booklets. But now, during my vintage years, I prefer to luxuriate in the almost “mindless repetition” of the ancient, sacred words…”Hail Mary… blessed art thou… now and at the hour of our death. Our Father… thy kingdom come… daily bread… as we forgive… deliver us. Glory be… ever shall be…Amen.”
Do you have any experience with the rosary? Do you pray the rosary? If so, when, where, and how do you pray it?
Do you have a particular “Marian Devotion” you’d like to tell us about?
PS: Upcoming speaking engagements. (Check websites for more information)
Oct. 18-20, 2019: Franciscan Spiritual Center, Aston, PA
Nov. 1-3, 2019: 15th Annual Collaboration for Ministry Initiative Conference, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity Foundation, for all Sisters Serving in South Carolina; held at the Marriott Grande Dunes Hotel in Myrtle Beach. I will give three conferences on Wonder, Courage, and Hope.
Nov. 15-17, 2019: Villa Maria Education and Spiritual Center, Villa Maria, PA; Weekend retreat: “Hanging onto Hope in Our Imperfect World.”
PS #2: A big thank you for all who came to the morning of reflection at St. John of the Cross Parish in Euclid, OH last Saturday. I enjoyed being with you–and returning to my home parish! And special thanks to Stan for taking care of the details for the morning.
Today’s video is one of my favorite versions of Mary’s Magnificat, her words of praise to God when she visited her cousin Elizabeth. Composed by John Michael Talbot, this version is sung by the Daughters of St. Paul. The video has no printed lyrics, but you can find the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55.
Would you like to respond to this reflection or song? If so, please do so below.
Tapping into the Wisdom Within
Today I invite you to tap into the wisdom you have within yourself, a wisdom you may not even know you have. Here’s how I came up with this little exercise.
Recently I was reading about Nicholas Black Elk, a revered Native American. As some of you may know, he was a Catholic catechist whose cause for canonization was opened in 2017. Black Elk said these simple words:
“Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking.”
I liked that. It was such a little sentence, yet it held significant meaning(s) as I pondered it during my prayer. Afterward, I got an idea. I decided to substitute three other words for dreams… wiser… and waking. I wrote down this sentence outline:
“Sometimes ____ are/is ____ than ____.”
Then I began filling in the blanks with all kinds of words.
Maybe you might want to try it. Just fill in the blanks with three words or phrases and see what you get. Don’t think too much. Brainstorm instead. Try to come up with several different sentences within just a few minutes. To help you get started, I will share three of my sentences with you, adding a few comments.
Sometimes walking is more rewarding than riding. (Walking is usually slower than riding, less frantic than speeding on a freeway… When we’re walking, we’re closer to the natural world—to its sights, sounds, smells, and feelings… When we’re walking, we’re in solidarity with millions of other of people currently living on our planet who walk almost everywhere they go… We’re in solidarity with history too. Jesus, for example, walked. Virtually everywhere. Only once do the gospels show him riding on a donkey—on his way into Jerusalem shortly before his death.)
Sometimes patience is stronger than power. (It takes strength to be patient, that is, to wait, to let go of control, to retain hope in a situation that appears to be hopeless… Yet just think of all those important human activities that require patience: being a good spouse, a good parent, a good community member, a good teacher, a good gardener, a good cook, a good leader… Actually, maybe patience IS power…)
Sometimes camaraderie is more important than productivity. (Getting along well with others… working well together… having a sense of belonging… doing things to foster community… these things often have more value than output, yield, or profit. My grandnephew, for example, fresh out of college, just got his first job. One of the reasons he chose the particular workplace, he said, was because “I liked the people I would be working with.”)
Okay. Now it’s your turn. Tap into that wisdom that lives inside of you. See what emerges. And (as always) I invite you to share some of your sentences with the rest of us. You do not have to comment on the sentence(s) you share unless you want to. I hope we get quite a few responses below! Let’s share our collective wisdom together!
PS #1: I will be giving a talk on HOPE this Saturday, October 5, at St. John of the Cross Parish (formerly St. Felicitas) from 10:00 am to noon. The church is located on Richmond Road in Euclid, Ohio. If you can afford two hours on a Saturday morning, I’d love to see you there.
PS #2: I will be giving a weekend retreat at the Franciscan Spiritual Center in Aston, PA October 18-20. The theme is “Celebrating Four Gifts of Autumn: Beauty, Harvest, Letting Go, and Hope.” The retreat starts Friday at 7:00 pm and ends Sunday at 11:00 am. Call 610-558-6152 or check their website for details. I’d love to celebrate Autumn with you in Aston!
PS #3: Thank you to all who came to our Chicken (and rib) Barbecue and Boutique this past Sunday. We Sisters of Notre Dame really appreciate your support. And I enjoyed seeing so many friends and relatives again! Next year’s BBQ will be Sunday, September 27. Mark your calendars!
Our song today might seem at first to be a contradiction. It’s entitled “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson. Aren’t we supposed to dream big? But there’s wisdom in these lyrics. Often it is the small, simple, loving acts that change the world. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “Do small things with great love.”
Please share your thoughts below:
Winning the Lottery
Beth and Bob have been married for 54 years. Together they raised six sons. Now they have 19 grandchildren. After morning Mass the other day, Beth stopped me and said, “Sister, I have a story to share with you.” We sat down together in a pew where she took out a greeting card from her purse.
It was a card Beth and Bob had received–out of the blue–from their oldest grandson, Ben, and his wife Becca. The front of the card said, “Happy thoughts can make any day a sunny one.” Inside was a lottery ticket. When they scratched it off, they were hoping to see three matching dollar amounts, indicating they were winners. No such luck. But under the losing numbers was another area to scratch. When they scratched off that area, this message appeared: “We’re having a baby!”
I love this story. What a beautiful away to announce that a new baby is on the way! Inside the card, Ben and Becca had written: “Only the best grandparents get promoted to great-grandparents!”
The story puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? Beth and Bob didn’t win any money with that lottery ticket. But they won something far more valuable: the news that they were having their first great-grandchild!
The story got me thinking. Most of us will go through life without winning a major lottery. But on another level, we are winning lotteries all the time. What kind of lotteries? The lottery of good friends… a loving spouse… cherished children and grandchildren (and even great-grandchildren!). The lottery of a religious vocation… good health… the beauty that surrounds us every day… the blessings of clean air, ample water, delicious food. The lottery of freedom… a good education… talents of all kinds… meaningful work… and (of course) our precious gift of Faith.
What is winning a bunch of money in a lottery compared to winning a PRICELESS and GRACE-FILLED LIFE?
What kind of “lotteries” have you won in life? In other words, what “prizes” have you received in your lifetime for which you are most grateful?
Has something that seemed at first to be a disappointment ever turned out to be a wonderful blessing for you?
What helps you keep your priorities straight?
ANNOUNCEMENT: I’m taking a break. I will NOT post a new reflection next Monday, September 23. If you miss “Sunflower Seeds” next week, you can go on the site and click on a post from previous years. Just type in a topic or a Monday date in the space on the right labeled “search,” and an earlier post should come up. Thank you for understanding my need to step away for a week! I’ll be back again Monday, September 30.
PS: Thank you to the wonderful people whom I met this past weekend for a retreat at Our Lady of the Pines in Fremont, Ohio. Special thanks to Sister Wanda who helped the weekend run smoothly!
PS #2: We Sisters of Notre Dame are holding our annual chicken (and ribs) Barbecue and Boutique Sunday, September 29, at Notre Dame Cathedral Latin High School at 13000 Auburn Road in Chardon, Ohio from noon until 5:00. I’ll be at the Book Nook from noon until 3:00. If you come, stop by and see me!
The great Indian poet Tagore said: “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of humankind.” This song celebrates the birth of a new baby. It’s called “A Mother’s Song (Hannah’s Song),” but it could just as easily be called a father’s song, a grandparent’s song, or anyone’s song. It is sung by Rachel Aldous.
Do you have any thoughts on this week’s reflection? If so, we’d love to hear from you below!
The Power of Handwritten Notes
When Justin Smith was 30 years old a few years back, he lived only four blocks from his father in a small town in Eastern North Carolina. He saw his dad at least once a week. Yet several times a year he received a handwritten note from his father, Steve, as he had for most of his adult life, offering support and encouragement.
In one note Steve Smith wrote, “I write this letter to you as a father full of pride in his son and his accomplishments.” 
Another time he wrote, “The next 9-10 months will be challenging for you…. I have no doubt you will continue to make significant contributions to make it a better world.” Justin Smith eventually became a TV reporter.
Steve Smith explained why he mails handwritten notes to his son. “I’m a believer that handwritten notes are kind of a lost art in this day of social media. We need to keep it alive. It sends a message to the receiver and to the writer that you stopped what you were doing and totally focused on that person for a few minutes.”
John Drescher, one of my former students, wrote about the Smiths for the Raleigh News and Observer. John, who now works at the Washington Post, is also a firm believer in handwritten notes. He has a thick folder full of letters from his dad which started when Drescher was in college and continued for over two decades. When Drescher was in his 20s, his father often gave him career advice. When he was in his 30s with three small daughters, his father often wrote glowingly about his granddaughters.
Drescher’s dad was “old school,” often “formal and self-conscious about expressing his emotions to his children. But in his letters he was warm and effusive, revealing another side.” He sometimes closed his letters with, “Thank you for being our son.” He always signed them, “Love, Dad.” Drescher’s dad is gone now but he says, “As I re-read those old letters in his slanted, jagged handwriting, the years roll past page by page. I can hear his voice, supportive and reassuring, as if he were in the room with me.”
I too believe in the power of handwritten notes. I saved a couple of notes from both of my parents just so I could see their familiar handwriting and “hear” their voices. I also have a few letters from my brother John and sister Mary Ann, letters even more precious now that both of them are gone. I also have one cherished note from my Grandma Svoboda—a birthday wish for me when I was a little girl. In her beautiful penmanship, it says simply, “Dear Doly, I vish you vary hapy birthday. Love Grandma.” The misspelled words (Dolly, wish, very, happy) remind me that, when she entered this country at age 15, my grandma knew no English. Czech was her native language. What courage she had to start a new life in this new country! (I hope I carry some of that courage in my DNA!)
What about you? Do you think handwritten letters are a lost art? Do you have any handwritten letters that you treasure? Do you ever send handwritten letters to anyone?
Here’s a song entitled “Letter from Heaven” by Tim Shetler. He wrote this shortly after his mother passed away. For me the song captures what it feels like when we lose a loved one. Often we long for some communication from our dear ones from beyond the grave…and sometimes they do send us messages…
I invite you to write a brief comment below, sharing your ideas and experiences with handwritten letters. All of us would enjoy hearing from you!
